What do u like about Rome the most?

Question

I am going to Rome in a few months to meet some of my cousins...I never been there before...i was just wonder what you guys suggest me to do on my free time (where should i go and why)...what do u like about rome the most?

Answer 1

WALK THE CITY!  If it is your first time you should hit all the standards....Vatican (but not on a Sunday), Spanish Steps (at the foot of the steps is great shopping)...Coloseum...Wedding Cake Monument...Pantheon...Trevi Fountain...EAT Alot of FOOD...you can stop by any ole place and have an experience of a life time...

I suggest http://www.ricksteves.com/, purchase their map and book on Italy...will be the best investment and provides modest but good suggestions on what to do, etc.  Also provides great walking tours - do it yourself.  Have fun!

Answer 2

EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!

Answer 3

You can do no wrong by visiting the Vatican, the coliseum and all of the ruins being restored. Take the doubled deck bus tour which brings you to all of the major stops around the city.

Answer 4

Vatican City, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, the Colosseum, etc.

Answer 5

Probably the best part of Rome is the fact that there is where resides the greatest painting on the planet...and this is not my pronouncement, but the consideration of many very educated and trained professional painters....  It is called The Crucifixion of St. Peter by Caravaggio, and it is in the catholic church,S. Maria de Popolo. (In that little alcove is another Caravaggio (Conversion of St. Paul), also very nice but nothing like the first, along with a Carracci...truly another nice painting....  

I don't know how old you are, or how sophisticated in art or in art history, so I will try to explain why it is such a great painting, without taking up your day.

Paintings are great because of what they say to you and how they say it.   The subject matter is really unimportant..... This one is  a typical religious painting, no big deal subject matterwise....However, knowing something about  Caravaggio, and what he was doing might help.  The guy was an absolutely miserable human being, dead before 40 or so, and painted no more than 50 paintings in his whole life. At the time of his death, he was waiting for the pope to absolve him of a murder he had committed.... he was always in bar fights, and every other manor of violence.... But the guy could paint.  Unlike Leonardo (who had a huge workshop with literally hundreds of people), he had no one working for him --- every brush stroke was his.  The pope probably had this painting commissioned for this church, still there.  But it is an "In Your Face" painting .. it is meant to be seen from an angle, and the angle has a man's butt right in your face.  There is no wasted space, and every detail is perfect --every brush stroke deliberate, genius without being too polished..... even down to the foot in the lower left hand corner that has a dirty sole, and heel, but you can see the blood practically flowing in the arch of the foot.  The shadowing, and grubbiness of the scene shows unbelievable control of his understanding of light.... remember, he had no photograph to work from, so he hired drunks off the street to be his models. And you are pulled into the agony of the guy being cruxified upside down!!!  no one was painting like this during this time, and he used other unusual effects, because he could, and he did so and pretty much told them all -- Leonardo included--- "There, do that, I dare you!!  The only real flaw in the painting is that there is a rock in it, and I am guessing it is there because Peter is regarded as the Rock of the catholic church.... it doesn't belong there, and it is obvious that Caravaggio put a rock in it because he was told to -- It is poorly executed for a reason.("In Your Face, Pope!!).  Many professional painters who see this painting say, "I'm glad I didn't see it when I was just beginning my career -- I would have had no idea just how great the guy was..." Hopefully, with some research, you WILL be able to see just how great he was.....

Google his name, this painting, and be sure you see it yourself. In real life, it is stunning....

The second greatest part of Rome are all the statues by Bernini, far better than anything any other sculptor did, and you may indeed have heard of him.  Plan to see some at the Bridge of Angles, in the Borgese Museum, and the best one, called "The Ecstacy of St. Theresa" also in a church that you will have to hunt down. (The common comment:  Is she having an orgaism or has she just seen god -- and maybe they are the same??? and is the cupid smiling, or giving her an impish look????

There is a great equestrian statue done by Bernini at the Vatican, to the right, as you are going up the steps, under the alcove before you enter the Vatican--- don't miss it.  And of course, see the Pieta in the Vatican proper.(To the right, inside the building)  (Hopefully you'll have time to go thru the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, but everyone sees that stuff.)  Do some research of Caravaggio and Bernini for the "cream" of Rome.

Answer 6

I went in February...  very few visitors so the Romans were much more relaxed and friendly.  So, I have to say I really enjoyed talking to the people, especially the women.  (I was trying to learn Italian although most people spoke English).

  I hit all the major historical sights.  I really enjoyed the coliseum, the forum, the Pantheon, and la Pieta.  I walked and took the metro everywhere (unless it rained).

  If you are there for an extended amount of time, try going to a music concert and nightclubs with live bands... especially if it is a popular Italian musician/group.  Nothing like being at a concert/event with a bunch of ecstatic Italians. I saw Laura Pausini in concert in Florence.

If you like coffee make sure to have a cappuccino in the morning at a cafe/bar and espresso in the afternoon...  The best!  Of course, it should be the best since the Italians "invented" the espresso.

What ever you do... just relax, be polite, and friendly.  You'll have a great time!

Addition:  One more thing, while you're there, ask any Italian you meet what they love about their city, what they think is special.

Answer 7

OMG! It's all amazing. Sistine Chapel, Vatican are a must. All the ruins. It's just all so beautiful.

Answer 8

the beautiful trevi fountain the one you can see in the movie la dolce vita of fellini